Siddhartha, She bills itself as “A Ritual Music Drama” But at its August 2 Aspen Music Festival world premiere, it was difficult to locate the “drama” in the equation.  The work, with music by Christopher Theofanidis … » Read

SANTA FE—Two of this summer’s productions posed unusual staging challenges for Santa Fe Opera’s indoor-outdoor theater: The Turn of the Screw , in a rare return after more than four decades, and Die Walküre , which marks … » Read

The plot of Marc-Antoine Charpentier’s David and Jonathan is standard opera fare—two young people fall in love and face tragic interference by one lover’s father. The West Edge Opera festival’s new staging, however, adds a … » Read

SANTA FE—The plot of The Marriage of Figaro can feel like a dizzying maze of deceptions and deferred revelations—its intricate turns threatening to overwhelm the human stakes. But in Santa Fe Opera’s ingeniously paced staging, … » Read

SANTA CRUZ, California—Last weekend, the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music opened its 63rd season. Reaching that number with such an uncompromising mission is an achievement in itself. So is the 50th anniversary of Santa Cruz being … » Read

CHICAGO—For one weekend every August, Lollapalooza, Chicago’s pop music mega-festival, moves into the south end of the city’s long stretch of downtown parkland. And every Lollapalooza weekend, the Grant Park Orchestra, based in … » Read

LONDON—Mahler’s Second Symphony is a massive draw these days, so it was no surprise to find this August 2 BBC Prom at full capacity (the Prommers standing in the Royal Albert Hall arena were packed in like sardines.) What was, … » Read

The annual season of Teatro Nuovo, always a high point of New York’s musical summer, consisted this year of two highly contrasting works even if they have sleepwalking scenes in common. With Verdi’s Macbeth , given in its original … » Read

The annual season of Teatro Nuovo, always a high point of New York’s musical summer, consisted this year of two highly contrasting works even if they have sleepwalking scenes in common. With Verdi’s Macbeth , given in its original … » Read

CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA, CA.—This seaside village on the southern edge of the Monterey Peninsula is known for its storybook cottages, white-sand beaches, mercurial coastal haze—and lack of street addresses. Originally established as an … » Read